Economics Exeter or industrial economics Nottingham?

Hey I have received offers from both these unis and was wondering which would likely be the best option for me. They are both BSc and I really enjoy pure economics so am attracted to the exeter course however I am not super strong in maths (about a B grade at a level) and Nottingham appeals to me more as a university. I have doubts however about the industrial course because of how it is a bit more business sided and therefore worry that it isn’t as prestigious as normal economics and wouldn’t be as good of an opportunity.

Any ideas/info would be appreciated thanks
note: I didn’t get into normal economics at Nottingham

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Reply 1

MrMoment

If you’re more driven to study pure economics and you satisfy the mathematics requirement then, personally, I think that Exeter is a better option. However, if you prefer the campus and a less mathematical course, then Nottingham seems a more sensible option for you. Just do your research and ensure that Industrial Organisation is something you’re genuinely interested in. I think both universities are of a similar prestige so don’t let that influence your decision, rather what you’ll be studying for 3 years.

(edited 5 years ago)

Reply 2

Muttley79

Original post by brokeboi21

Exeter has a better rep for Economics than Nottingham - what don't you like about it?

Reply 3

brokeboi21

Original post by Muttley79

Exeter has a better rep for Economics than Nottingham - what don't you like about it?

As much as people say this has little impact and shouldn’t factor much when choosing a course that will affect your future, I think I will be happier at Nottingham as I thoroughly enjoy the night life of my current town and have heard how quiet Exeter is so I think as a city I would rather live in Nottingham than Exeter. Also I think I would succeed easier in industrial as I am slightly weaker in maths and do business A level already however I love straight economics and feel that swaying more to a business side wouldn’t look as good or desirable as a straight economics degree

Reply 4

brokeboi21

Original post by MrMoment

Thanks for the response, will definitely need to do some more thorough research on the exact content of each of the courses and if I’d be able to achieve what I want with the mathematical side or if industrial interests me enough that I’d be happy on that course instead

Reply 5

Muttley79

Original post by brokeboi21

Why do you think Exeter is quiet? It isn't if you know where to go - less crime there too.

Reply 6

brokeboi21

Original post by Muttley79

Why do you think Exeter is quiet? It isn't if you know where to go - less crime there too.

from looking on posts in the student room really, but will be able to get a better feel for it when I visit in February

Reply 7

Muttley79

Original post by brokeboi21

from looking on posts in the student room really, but will be able to get a better feel for it when I visit in February

Don't believe half of what you read on here! The new student building is amazing.

Reply 8

Ze Witcher

You could ask to transfer into Economics providing you get the grades at Nottingham?

Original post by Muttley79

Exeter has a better rep for Economics than Nottingham - what don't you like about it?

And no it doesn't..

Reply 9

Muttley79

Original post by Ze Witcher

And no it doesn't..

In your opinion .... I'm talking over many years not a one-off flawed 'league' table.

Reply 10

Ze Witcher

Original post by Muttley79

In your opinion .... I'm talking over many years not a one-off flawed 'league' table.

Wasn't even referring to league tables lol.

Even then, Exeter has only come ahead of Nottingham once since 2008 for Economics ranking; hardly a 'one-off' for Nottingham.

Looking at today, Exeter hasn't even been getting the best reputation, has it?

Reply 11

Muttley79

Original post by Ze Witcher

I'm gong back to the 1960s .... Why? They caught the few racists - nowhere else has! I'd say that makes them ahead ... anywhere that says they have no racists is lying.

Reply 12

BasicMistake

Original post by Muttley79

I'm gong back to the 1960s .... Why? They caught the few racists - nowhere else has! I'd say that makes them ahead ... anywhere that says they have no racists is lying.

Yeah no, Notts edges Exeter in economics. Ranks higher domestically and internationally.

Also, going back to the 1960s is pointless. Might as well say Warwick is ****-tier for economics if you do that.

Reply 13

Muttley79

Original post by BasicMistake

I'm talking of the rep over a number of years - you are wrong some of the top people were at Exeter. Surely you don;t believe flawed League tables! I'm talking about influential people in Economics ...

Reply 14

BasicMistake

Original post by Muttley79

I'm not aware of any influential figures in economics from Exeter.

That's not to say I know of any from Nottingham either. This is generally a space filled by Oxbridge and LSE, and to a lesser extent UCL and Warwick.

Reply 15

.ACS.

Original post by brokeboi21

Honestly, this is the most important thing to think about. You are comparing an economics degree taught by economics faculty members, at Exeter, to an industrial economics degree taught by the faculty at the Management School, at Nottingham.

If you look at the content covered, compare the modules, the options, etc., you will see these are two very different degrees. One is not strictly better than the other, but at Nottingham you will be focused on undertaking modules which are more management, business, etc. in focus. Great if you like this, but you will not all of a sudden be able to focus on macroeconomics or development economics in your second/third year if you realise this is what you really like.

Also, location does play an important part, and if you prefer Nottingham, then that is fine too. But it is about a balance between location and studying because ultimately you need to ensure the content you are covering is what you enjoy as you do spend most of your time studying.

Good luck!

Reply 16

.ACS.

Muttley79

...

Ze Witcher

...

BasicMistake

...

I don't want to get caught up on the debate of Nottingham economics versus Exeter economics, but remember that "Industrial Economics" is taught by Nottingham's Management School (it is more of a business degree than an economics one), not the Economics Department, and so the debate you're having is largely pointless to the original poster's concerns.

Edited to add:
1) Also you need to think about whether the reputation is better from an employer perspective or an academic perspective, and if the latter, is it regarding teaching or research?

2) If better by the academic research perspective, as is partially alluded to (via the comment on more influential economists), you need to think about whether this really affects the quality of the undergraduate teaching curriculum, or whether this is more important for MSc programmes, or in reality, whether it only matters for PhD students who are themselves conducting research.

(edited 5 years ago)

Reply 17

.ACS.

Original post by Ze Witcher

You could ask to transfer into Economics providing you get the grades at Nottingham?

This unfortunately isn't possible due to normal Economics being so oversubscribed. Nottingham have been known to make an offer of Industrial Economics to good candidates with good grades but didn't quite make the cut for Economics due to such high demand (and Industrial Economics being less in demand).

Reply 18

Exceptional

I do IE at Nottingham, so feel free to ask any questions.

The reputation debate is a bit pointless, you're not going to be at an advantage or disadvantage for any job or postgraduate course you apply to at either uni based on rep alone.

What's most important is the course and which appeals to you most. For those saying that IE is less mathematical, I don't really see much evidence of that. For example, you're allowed to take two modules outside the Business School each year and I'll have personally done three modules in the Maths Department before I leave. So you can do advanced calculus, statistics and linear algebra if you really want, which is beyond the scope of the Econ department. I also studied abroad in Singapore at a Department of Economics - you learn macro and micro in a more quantitative way here, but the toughness of the Maths wasn't higher than what you'll learn in the compulsory Quantitative/Econometrics modules at Nottingham. If Maths isn't your thing then you might prefer Nottingham purely because you can make it more qualitative - e.g. picking essay modules instead of Maths ones for your optional choices (though you'll still have to get through the compulsory maths ones). You'll have less exposure to macroeconomics on IE (unless you study abroad or take it as an optional in the Econ department), so if you really like this area of economics then a pure Econ course might suit you more. Instead you'll have more focus on Industrial Economics, Game Theory, Pricing, and other micro-focused areas.

The university and course in my opinion are great. There are so many opportunities here to build a profile to help you gain the skills to get the best graduate jobs, you just need to take advantage of them.